- Booster (rocketry)
In
spaceflight , a booster may be either:
* an entirelaunch vehicle or "launcher" used to lift aspacecraft . Initially all boosters used forhuman spaceflight and most unmanned boosters used liquid propellant, at least for the core launch vehicle.
* a strap-on rocket, (either asolid rocket booster orliquid rocket booster ) used to augment the lift capability of a core launch vehicleExamples
As examples of the first meaning, the booster for most of the Mercury manned program was the Atlas, for Gemini it was a
Titan II , and for Apollo it was usually theSaturn V .As an example of the second meaning, theTitan III used strap-on boosters.The
Space Shuttle program was the first timesolid rocket s were used in U.S. manned space launches. "Booster" can refer to either theSpace Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster s, or to the entire vehicle as it ascends under powered flight, even after the solid rocket boosters are jettisoned.When using strap-on boosters, the core vehicle is sometimes ignited concurrently at liftoff (as in the
Space Shuttle ), or sometimes the vehicle lifts off solely using strap-on boosters, and core is ignited at altitude (Titan III ).Other uses
Another use of the term "booster" in spaceflight is the
Booster Systems Engineer , whose call sign is, Booster. This is a support position atNASA 'sMission Control Center .In
aviation , boosters are often calledJATO rockets. Solid rocket boosters were planned for the some Air Force programs such as theX-20 Dyna-Soar , but were ultimately never used.Various
missile s also use solid rocket boosters. Examples are;
*2K11 (SA-4) which uses SRBs as a first stage, and then aramjet .
*S-200 (SA-5) which uses SRBs as the first stage, followed by a solid fuel rocket.
*Surface launched versions of theturbojet poweredBoeing Harpoon use an SRB.
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